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Sports and Life Motivational & Inspirational Articles, Essays, Stories, Tips and Advice in English

About Determination, Dreams and the Brooklyn Bridge

In 1883, a creative engineer named John Roebling was inspired by an idea to build a spectacular bridge connecting New York with the Long Island. However bridge building experts throughout the world thought that this was an impossible feat and told Roebling to forget the idea. It just could not be done. It was not practical. It had never been done before.

Roebling could not ignore the vision he had in his mind of this bridge. He thought about it all the time and he knew deep in his heart that it could be done. He just had to share the dream with someone else. After much discussion and persuasion he managed to convince his son Washington, an up and coming engineer, that the bridge in fact could be built.

Working together for the first time, the father and son developed concepts of how it could be accomplished and how the obstacles could be overcome. With great excitement and inspiration, and the headiness of a wild challenge before them, they hired their crew and began to build their dream bridge.

The project started well, but when it was only a few months underway a tragic accident on the site took the life of John Roebling. Washington was injured and left with a certain amount of brain damage, which resulted in him not being able to walk or talk or even move.

"We told them so.""Crazy men and their crazy dreams.""It`s foolish to chase wild visions."

Everyone had a negative comment to make and felt that the project should be scrapped since the Roeblings were the only ones who knew how the bridge could be built. In spite of his handicap Washington was never discouraged and still had a burning desire to complete the bridge and his mind was still as sharp as ever.

He tried to inspire and pass on his enthusiasm to some of his friends, but they were too daunted by the task. As he lay on his bed in his hospital room, with the sunlight streaming through the windows, a gentle breeze blew the flimsy white curtains apart and he was able to see the sky and the tops of the trees outside for just a moment.

It seemed that there was a message for him not to give up. Suddenly an idea hit him. All he could do was move one finger and he decided to make the best use of it. By moving this, he slowly developed a code of communication with his wife.

He touched his wife's arm with that finger, indicating to her that he wanted her to call the engineers again. Then he used the same method of tapping her arm to tell the engineers what to do. It seemed foolish but the project was under way again.

For 13 years Washington tapped out his instructions with his finger on his wife's arm, until the bridge was finally completed. Today the spectacular Brooklyn Bridge stands in all its glory as a tribute to the triumph of one man's indomitable spirit and his determination not to be defeated by circumstances. It is also a tribute to the engineers and their team work, and to their faith in a man who was considered mad by half the world. It stands too as a tangible monument to the love and devotion of his wife who for 13 long years patiently decoded the messages of her husband and told the engineers what to do.

Perhaps this is one of the best examples of a never-say-die attitude that overcomes a terrible physical handicap and achieves an impossible goal.

Often when we face obstacles in our day-to-day life, our hurdles seem very small in comparison to what many others have to face. The Brooklyn Bridge shows us that dreams that seem impossible can be realised with determination and persistence, no matter what the odds are.

Even the most distant dream can be realized with determination and persistence.

Sports and Life Motivational & Inspirational Articles, Essays, Stories, Tips and Advice in English

Priorities: Are You Living Yours?

In the Charles Dickens classic, “The Christmas Story”, Scrooge is given the opportunity to examine his life and his priorities before it is too late. Upon being shown his grave by the ghost of Christmas Future, he asks “Spirit, are these instances of things that will be or are they of things that might be?

Is it too late for me?” How long has it been since you have examined your life and its direction? When the day comes that you leave this earth, how will you be remembered?

Have you ever noticed that once people have something life-changing take place in their lives, an illness, death or tragedy, how quickly their priorities change? It is amazing how instantaneously things that were so important yesterday, fail to cross their radar screens today. Why is that? It is simple really. We are instantly reminded of our mortality. For a brief moment, we are forced to stop and really take stock of our lives. Unfortunately for many of us, we don’t like what we see.

These experiences cause a momentary shift in our priorities and how we view the things that have meaning in our lives. Having defeating or misplaced priorities is easy. Putting them in the right place is hard and learning how to maintain them in their places is an even greater challenge. I would like to share with you a few of my secrets to create and maintain a life of priorities.Let me speak from personal experience. I was a very successful business manager that truly believed that my job was my identity. I made certain that no one could question my loyalty and commitment to my job and its results. I unintentionally made certain that my entire family doubted my commitment to them and the family’s success. They were in last place when it came to my priorities. There will be plenty of time later to foster the family, I thought. They love me and will wait for me.

I had a list of excuses as to why I needed to be at work. I had an adequate size staff but to hear me tell it, the place would burn down were I not there. So, off to work I went. I needed a priority shift. It wasn’t until I found myself in the back of an ambulance on the verge of a stroke and a paramedic standing over me injecting me with drugs to stop my heart, that I took a real survey of my life. Do yourself and those around you a favor; take a hard look at your life and what really matters, while you can.

I have always I had the best of intentions, just not the best planning. Many very accomplished people have said that ideas don’t fail, plans fail. I think we can relate this to our lives as well. It’s not that we are failures in our lives, our planning or priorities are misplaced. We need to plan out our priorities and set a purposeful course for our lives. Along with our own priorities, we must also recognize and respect the priorities of our spouse and those around us. We are not living on a deserted island. Do not try to impose your priorities onto others. It is always best to try to work closely others and with your family on family priorities. Either in a professional or personal environment, everyone has their own priorities. Unfortunately, as hard as we try, we can impose our priorities on others. From the board room to the dining room everyone has priorities.Why do corporations spend money on corporate retreats, team building consultants and mentoring programs? They are trying to impart the company objectives to their employees to share a common vision. They are looking for ways to align their employee’s priorities to those in their company mission statement. This also holds true in our personal lives. Let me explain.

A monumental point in my marriage came when my wife and I decided that the top three priorities in our life needed to be common. It seemed that all of our marital issues came back to a lack of common priorities. The priorities all seemed to be the same but differed in their order. My decisions were based upon my top priority which differed from that of my wife. I am not advocating changing your priorities to accommodate your spouses, but I believe that it is critical that you have the same top three priorities and in the same order. Once these are discussed and committed to, you must give each other permission to hold the other accountable for decisions that affect those priorities.Having discussed and worked through our priorities, we are now better able to communicate and can recognize the value of working together to maintain our priorities. Keeping those priorities in mind when we make decisions, either together or independently has led to a more purposeful life.

A teamwork approach allows for a stronger effort toward priority accountability. This type of accountability is not demanding, but respectful. As I said earlier, my wife and I have given each other permission to respectfully remind each other of the times we fall short. Don’t forget to praise each other when you succeed. Be respectful instead of confrontational and encourage each other to greater levels of fulfillment in your lives.Our individual and family lives revolve around our priorities. In fact everything in our lives is touched by our priorities. Taking ownership of your priorities will allow you to take ownership of your life today and for years to come.

The true beauty of these principles is that they are seamlessly transferable from the bedroom to the boardroom. Everyone has priorities and have a dream for their lives. We all have them; are you living yours?

Anthony MullinsElite Coaching Alliance 2005

Anthony Mullins is the President and Life Coach for The Elite Coaching Alliance. He specializes in marriage, relationship and family,christian based coaching. He is the author of the upcoming book “Your Extreme Life Makeover”.

Sports and Life Motivational & Inspirational Articles, Essays, Stories, Tips and Advice in English

What Is Your Intention?

Intentions are powerful things. When you want to improve your life, you have to be aware whether your inner intention is in conflict or in alignment with it. Learn some ways to determine whether you're sabotaging your goal and what to do about it.Sandy came to see me to be hypnotized to quit smoking. As we talked, she indicated that she'd tried everything else, and this was a last resort for her. If this didn't work, she was going to give up. Unfortunately, that was the message her subconscious got. Not that she wanted to stop smoking, but that she wanted an excuse to continue.

By telling herself that she'd "tried everything" and "nothing worked," this justified her continuing to smoke. Therefore, that was what her subconscious was going to act on. It knew she wasn't committed to quitting, and, as a result, was going to make sure she didn't succeed.

Hypnosis won't make anyone stop smoking, but it makes the process infinitely easier once they're dedicated to quitting. I told her that until she really intended to stop smoking, I couldn't help her. She needed to strengthen her motivation first.

Sandy's not alone. Many people think they want changes in their lives, but they're not willing to put the effort into those improvements. It's easier to talk about it, dream about it, but not do anything about it. The Law of Attraction draws to you your deep, inner intentions, despite what you consciously say you want.

How serious are you when you want to improve your life? Do you talk about what you intend to do, but don't follow through with any actions? You might announce that you plan to lose weight, but don't change your eating behaviors or start exercising. New Year's resolutions are rarely fulfilled because people don't work their plans. In these cases, the thought doesn't count and intentions are simply empty wishes.

Sometimes, you think you want a change in your life, but actually want to simply have the discomfort go away. As with Sandy, your intention isn't to change, but to confirm old ideas and be able to stay in the same place more comfortably. You want things to change, but don't want to do anything differently.

This probably isn't conscious. You may think you actually do want the change. But listen to the way you talk about it and what you actually do about it. That will uncover your true purpose. When you think you want something better, but don't want to make the effort, or make a half-hearted attempt, you sabotage yourself.

Your subconscious takes its direction from your conscious mind. When your conscious mind is ambivalent about your goal, your subconscious knows that. And since your old patterns are stronger, your subconscious will act on those. To become clearer about your intention, ask yourself how you feel about the goal? Do you think you should want it? Is there some fear about the unknown that puts the brakes on?

Intentions are powerful states of mind. They can make significant changes in your life. But you have to be clear about what your true intention is. If your conscious and subconscious intentions aren't aligned, then you're going to stay right where you are. Any internal conflicts about your goal will undermine your success. Once you've discovered what your basic intention is, you can then decide to change it or not.

If you choose to change it, then get clear on what it is you want in your life. When your conscious intention has become more powerful than the old habit, your subconscious cooperates with you to bring it to life. By setting an intention, you're focusing the unlimited power of your subconscious and the Universe into that one area. Once you've done thatFree Web Content, all of Life will pour in to support you and the Law of Attraction will begin to draw its equivalent to you. And this will bring about the true change you seek in your life.

A nationally known coach, hypnotherapist, writer, and speaker, Linda-Ann Stewart empowers people to discover new possibilities and realize their full potential. For a copy of her free ebook, "Secrets To The Law Of Attraction," visit www.Cedarfire.com/secretstoloa.shtml.

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